Gwen’s Pov

I was screaming and crying as my hands flared helplessly around me when suddenly I jerked up in bed and realized I had been dreaming.

“Calm down, Mrs. Velcro, you're safe now,” the soothing voice of the doctor sounded beside me.

I blinked, sitting up in the hospital bed as the sound of the EKG machine sounded.

The doctor was staring at me but he wasn't alone in my room. Jack, Cara, and his mother were there too.

“How are you feeling?” Cara asked me, sobbing.

I ignored her and turned to the doctor, “What happened?”

“You ungrateful bitch!” Jack spat, “Cara saved you. When I shoved you out she threatened to kill herself if I didn't catch you. And so I did but by then you had already passed out. She's refused to leave your bedside for two days as she claimed she wouldn't leave until you wake up. And this is the thanks she gets?”

My tongue felt dry as I stared at them. Then I burst into laughter until tears started rolling down my cheeks.

“She set me up and almost killed me. You almost killed me, Jack, so what do you want me to do? I should give you a fucking medal?” I yelled at them.

Jack’s mother scoffed, “You should have let her fall, Jack, maybe it would have helped bridle her tongue.”

I glared at her, “Yeah, he should have let me fall. Or better still he should have left me to die when he conspired to kill my baby.”

The room was deathly silent as no one spoke until Jack scoffed.

“Seems you're under a lot of drugs right now. Come, Cara, let’s go.”

Cara stared at me and held my hands tightly, as her fingers dug into my palm.

“I’m so sorry, Gwen, this is all my fault. Please forgive me,” she cried in her fake voice.

“Stop fucking acting and leave me alone!” I snapped, pushing her away.

Cara stumbled and almost fell but Jack caught her swiftly.

He glared at me with so much rage I shuddered. “Thank your stars, Gwen, if Cara wasn't such a nice person I would have broken every single bone in your body.”

Then they left. The doctor stayed a bit longer, staring at me awkwardly.

“I want to leave,” I finally said.

He nodded and prepared my discharge papers.

—

When I arrived back home I picked up the mail that was waiting for me. It was the divorce papers, it’s finally arrived.

I walked inside and collected the resignation letter too. Then the next task was to get Jack to sign them without him knowing.

Jack suddenly appeared in my doorway and tossed a bag at me.

“Dress up, we have a business meeting to attend,” he snapped.

“Why not go with Cara?” I asked.

“I’m going with her but you're my assistant, it’d be weird if you didn't show up,” he answered.

I brought out the documents immediately and shoved it in his hand with a pen, flipping to the last page.

“Please sign it. These are my hospital discharge papers,” I lied.

Jack frowned, “What the fuck is this?” he flipped it over to read when he heard Cara’s voice.

“Baby, come see how I look!” she squealed excitedly.

His sour expression changed immediately as a smile suddenly blossomed on his face. He scribbled his signature in the two documents without reading them and left.

I should have been upset that he wasn't paying me any attention and had just signed those documents hurriedly but I couldn't care less.

In fact, I was happy he was distracted because at least he didn't read the contents of the documents.

I quickly got dressed in the small black dress he had gotten for me. The dress hugged my figure and made me look very beautiful, hiding all the trauma I've been through.

When I came downstairs, I saw the way Jack stared at me but the moment Cara appeared, he forgot all about me.

The drive to the event was boring as Cara kept trying to get on my nerves by bringing up all the times they've had sex in this car.

At one point, Jack got uncomfortable and told her to stop talking. He stared at me through the rearview mirror waiting for me to react but I kept pressing my phone.

I was confirming my flight ticket which was booked for tomorrow evening. I was glad, this nightmare would be over soon.

“What are you doing? Who are you texting on your phone?” Jack asked suddenly, grabbing my phone.

He tapped the phone and tried to unlock it but he failed.

“What’s your password?” he asked.

“My birthday,” I answered quietly.

Jack still tried but it was futile and he gave me back my phone in shame.

We finally arrived at the event and I was glad to be out of the car.

Cara melted into Jack’s arms while basking in the glory of everyone calling her Mrs. Velcro.

Multiple times Jack stared at me with guilt written all over his face but I didn't care. I remained seated behind them, acting like an assistant and not his wife of two years.

The event was almost over when suddenly gunshots sounded in the hall. Chaos broke out as everyone started running and trying to hide.

Bullets flew around in the hall and the first person Jack shielded was Cara with his body. His reaction had caused me to remain standing as I stared at them when I felt a sharp sting in my side.

Gasping, I realised I've been shot. I screamed loudly, as I reached out to Jack.

“Jack… help…” I cried, groaning in pain.

Jack immediately left Cara and ran toward me, he picked me up and placed his hand on the bullet wound.

“You’ll be fine, Gwen, just hold on a bit,” he said to me.

We were almost at the door when Cara screamed.

“Jack! The baby, I can't move,” she cried.

And just like that, Jack abandoned me and ran toward Cara.

He scooped her in his arms and ran toward me.

“You’re strong, Gwen. You’ll be fine. I can’t risk Cara or the baby. I’ll send someone to get you.”

I watched as Jack walked out on me while Cara smirked in his arms.

He left me behind in the chaos unfolding around me without even blinking an eye.

Gwen’s Pov

I waited… I hid behind the doors while the gunshot continued but no one came.

When I almost passed out from blood loss they finally left.

Dragging my tired body to the hospital, the doctor once again patched me up.

But when I returned home, I met Cara, David, Jack, and his mother all smiling and having dinner like they hadn't just left me to bleed out in a place filled with mobsters.

When I walked inside, Jack met my gaze and his face turned guilty.

“I’m so sorry, Gwen, I came back with Cara and she was in a critical condition,” he said.

“Yeah, critical,” I said coldly.

Without another word, I marched upstairs and took the box where I had stored all our memories, and went outside with it.

I threw it inside a metal container and lit the match. I watched as the flames burned everything inside it.

My heart felt numb as I stared at everything I used to cherish over the years. But now as it burned, including my wedding picture and marriage certificate, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

“What are you doing? Have you lost your senses?” Jack snapped behind me.

He used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames but he was only able to recover a burnt part of the wedding picture and marriage certificate.

“Why would you burn this? Are you crazy?” he asked me.

I stared at him blankly, “I’m done with this marriage, Jack, I need a divorce.”

Jack stared at me, his face filled with fear for just a second and then he sneered.

“You can't divorce me, Gwen, you have no one. You have no money and nowhere else to go!”

I stared at him and then without another word, I turned and went upstairs.

I locked my door and lay on the bed. That night Jack kept knocking on my door but I refused to open up.

He even slipped notes under my door. It was something we used to do when we were mad at each other.

Once upon a time, this would have melted my heart but ever since that bullet pierced my skin and he left me there to die, I had no heart.

In place of it was just a frozen stone that had lost everything and couldn't feel anything.

—

The following day I woke up filled with happiness. I will be leaving to catch my flight later this afternoon.

However as I opened my bedroom door I saw Jack standing outside the door, holding a white rose, my favorite.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly.

His eyes were shining like the first time I had fallen in love with him.

He gave me that crooked smile that gave me butterflies and made me swoon.

But I stood still, staring at him, none of his charms having any effect on me again.

“Forgive me, Gwen, I know I've neglected you a lot,” he apologized.

I scoffed, “What do you want, Jack?”

“Go out with me today. I got you a cute yellow sundress,” he said, handing me a bag.

I collected the bag and sighed, “Fine.”

“You’ll love it. It’s the place where we had our first date.”

He left, humming happily and I shut the door. I gathered my box and received a quick text from the man who was helping me.

‘Darling, I hope you're ready for today. No backing out.’

I sent a quick text back, ‘I’m not backing out, Ryder. I'll see you soon.’

Then I arranged the three boxes that I had packaged for Jack. Today was our three-year anniversary but I’m sure Jack doesn't remember.

I kept the three boxes on the bed and dressed up in the outfit he got me.

I was barely done when my door was roughly pushed open as Jack rushed in with Cara and his mother.

“How could you?!” Jack asked, slapping me roughly.

Before I could recover, I received two slaps from his mother that sent me sprawling to the ground filled with confusion.

“You sent the mobsters yesterday just to know if I would save you? How could you be so cruel? What if Cara had gotten hurt?” Jack snapped.

“I don't know why you hate me this much, Gwen, if you want to kill me then go ahead but please spare my babies,” Cara cried in a fake pathetic voice.

“You deserve to be flogged to death, bitch!” Jack’s mother added.

They all hurled insults at me while I remained on the floor, not even keen on defending myself. What’s the point? They'd never believe me.

“I have to go clean up the mess you've made. Stay in this house and reflect on what you've done. When I’m back, I’ll think of ways to punish you!” Jack said.

I watched as they all left and once again, I was alone in the mansion.

I grabbed my phone and called Ryder.

“Baby girl, what’s wrong?”

“I change my mind, Ryder, release the video. Start the damage now, they never learn. I wanna watch them burn as I leave,” I said in a calm voice.

“Done, princess. Your cab is waiting outside,” he said and hung up.

I grabbed my bag and left. A small sedan car was parked outside and I got into it.

“Welcome, Mistress,” the driver greeted me.

As the car drove me to the airport, I smiled happily. I was free and now Jack and his family would revel in the chaos I was about to unleash.